System Preferences
Ah! My time is wrong!
03.August.2010 09:34 Filed in: Tech Tips
What happens if you are at home and notice that the
time and date on your District 21 laptop is wrong???
First, you have to understand that the date and time on computers in an enterprise environment, like District 21, is much different than the importance of the date and time on our personal computers in our homes. The date and time are the basis for everything from logging in with your Active Directory username and password to ensuring that your files sync accurately.
When you are away from the District, your time should be accurate, matching the time of computers within the District. For example, this passage is being written outside of the District, and the time on this computer exactly matches the time on computers throughout District 21 right now. When this time is off, the solution is simple (though not necessarily convenient), and one that you can implement yourself.
To correct your time, simply:
After your time is correct, you may receive more syncing errors than you have typically received. If you have only been using your staff laptop to do your schoolwork, select the mobile/portable version as the key version that you want to retain on the server!
First, you have to understand that the date and time on computers in an enterprise environment, like District 21, is much different than the importance of the date and time on our personal computers in our homes. The date and time are the basis for everything from logging in with your Active Directory username and password to ensuring that your files sync accurately.
When you are away from the District, your time should be accurate, matching the time of computers within the District. For example, this passage is being written outside of the District, and the time on this computer exactly matches the time on computers throughout District 21 right now. When this time is off, the solution is simple (though not necessarily convenient), and one that you can implement yourself.
To correct your time, simply:
- Be sure that the computer is shut down the next time you go into a District 21 school (any District 21 school)
- Once in the school, boot up the computer and login
- Your time will automatically sync with the District time servers!
- If that still doesn’t work. Log-out. Try to log-in one more time. If the time still doesn’t correct, call the Help Desk at 847.934.8100 and press 2.
After your time is correct, you may receive more syncing errors than you have typically received. If you have only been using your staff laptop to do your schoolwork, select the mobile/portable version as the key version that you want to retain on the server!
Setting the Desktop Image
23.May.2010 21:26 Filed in: Tech Tips
One
thing you can do to personalize your desktop is use a
picture to make it more personal. To do this, you do
not need to open any System Preferences. If you
already have the picture or graphic on your computer,
it is very simple.
First, navigate to the location on your computer that the picture is sitting. It is easiest if it is just on the Desktop, like in the picture below. Right-click on the picture (see Managing Your Trackpad for more information on learning how to right-click on your MacBook), and choose Set Desktop Picture. See the picture below.
One potential problem that may occur is that the picture may become pixilated (showing all of the little squares/pixels that make up the picture). The best way to avoid this is to use pictures of high resolution, such as a full-size picture from a modern digital camera.
If you would like to use a picture that is stored online, that, too, is simple. First, you can only use a picture if the copyright allows you to do so--either because it is open source under something like Creative Commons or a picture that is now in the public domain. Then, go to the online site that hosts the picture that you would like to use. Next, you will typically be on a page that displays thumbnail images, smaller versions (lower resolution) of each picture. So, click on the picture you want to use in order to enlarge it to its highest resolution (to avoid or minimize pixilation).
Next you will right-click on the picture, and you will choose Use Image as Desktop Picture.
At that point, your picture will be set on the Desktop. Depending on the size of the original photo, you may only see a portion of the photo on your Desktop.
First, navigate to the location on your computer that the picture is sitting. It is easiest if it is just on the Desktop, like in the picture below. Right-click on the picture (see Managing Your Trackpad for more information on learning how to right-click on your MacBook), and choose Set Desktop Picture. See the picture below.
One potential problem that may occur is that the picture may become pixilated (showing all of the little squares/pixels that make up the picture). The best way to avoid this is to use pictures of high resolution, such as a full-size picture from a modern digital camera.
If you would like to use a picture that is stored online, that, too, is simple. First, you can only use a picture if the copyright allows you to do so--either because it is open source under something like Creative Commons or a picture that is now in the public domain. Then, go to the online site that hosts the picture that you would like to use. Next, you will typically be on a page that displays thumbnail images, smaller versions (lower resolution) of each picture. So, click on the picture you want to use in order to enlarge it to its highest resolution (to avoid or minimize pixilation).
Next you will right-click on the picture, and you will choose Use Image as Desktop Picture.
At that point, your picture will be set on the Desktop. Depending on the size of the original photo, you may only see a portion of the photo on your Desktop.
Adding Additional School Printers
09.May.2010 20:19 Filed in: Tech Tips
When at school most of the schools computers have
been automatically added to your printer list.
However, if there is a computer missing, or if you
need to add a printer for a different school, the
process to add a printer is very simple. The first
thing you want to do, is open System
Preferences, which is found in the menu
underneath the Apple icon in the upper left corner of
your screen on the left side of the Menu Bar (the
white bar that runs across the top of the
screen).
Next, from among the buttons in System Preferences, choose Print and Fax.
Once this Print & Fax preference pane opens up, you will see the already configured printers for your school. Under that, you will see the + button. It is important to note, that although the lock is shut, you do not need to unlock it, nor use the computer’s administrator password to add these printers.
At this point, the “Add Printer” dialog appears. There are three important steps you need to do in this dialog. First, choose the IP icon. Then, choose HP Jet Direct for the Protocol field if the printer you are adding is an HP printer. If the printer is from any other brand, chose Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) from the pull-down menu.
At this point, you will need to put in the ip address of the school printer you want to add. You may find this number posted on the printer or perhaps your iTech teacher has made a school-wide list for your school. Otherwise, ask your school’s Itech teacher, who has all of this information. You also want to “name” this printer so that you can remember which printer is which when you go to actually print. Then, press the Add button.
Once this process is complete, you will notice that your printer has been added to the list of printers for the computer.
Now, you can go ahead and use this printer just like any of the school printers that appeared on the list already. Just remember, you must select the correct printer to which you want to print before printing!
Next, from among the buttons in System Preferences, choose Print and Fax.
Once this Print & Fax preference pane opens up, you will see the already configured printers for your school. Under that, you will see the + button. It is important to note, that although the lock is shut, you do not need to unlock it, nor use the computer’s administrator password to add these printers.
At this point, the “Add Printer” dialog appears. There are three important steps you need to do in this dialog. First, choose the IP icon. Then, choose HP Jet Direct for the Protocol field if the printer you are adding is an HP printer. If the printer is from any other brand, chose Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) from the pull-down menu.
At this point, you will need to put in the ip address of the school printer you want to add. You may find this number posted on the printer or perhaps your iTech teacher has made a school-wide list for your school. Otherwise, ask your school’s Itech teacher, who has all of this information. You also want to “name” this printer so that you can remember which printer is which when you go to actually print. Then, press the Add button.
Once this process is complete, you will notice that your printer has been added to the list of printers for the computer.
Now, you can go ahead and use this printer just like any of the school printers that appeared on the list already. Just remember, you must select the correct printer to which you want to print before printing!
Managing Your Trackpad
09.May.2010 20:05 Filed in: Tech Tips
How do I set-up right-clicking with my trackpad and
learn more about what gestures I can
use?
The trackpad below your keyboard on your staff MacBook is made out of glass and is similar to the screen of an iPhone or iPod Touch, supporting a variety of different hand movements as types of computer inputs. Additionally, there is no easily identifiable and separate button. As you’ve learned by now, the entire trackpad (particularly the bottom half) is the button.
To learn more about what your trackpad can do and to set specific preferences yourself, first, go to System Preferences by choosing it from under the Apple icon in the white menu bar at the top of the screen.
Select the Trackpad button by clicking on it.
Once you are in there, you can select the options you want to enable and watch the videos built-in to the System Preferences dialog to understand what these options really do!
Try some different options, and please do not be afraid to experiment with these settings!
The trackpad below your keyboard on your staff MacBook is made out of glass and is similar to the screen of an iPhone or iPod Touch, supporting a variety of different hand movements as types of computer inputs. Additionally, there is no easily identifiable and separate button. As you’ve learned by now, the entire trackpad (particularly the bottom half) is the button.
To learn more about what your trackpad can do and to set specific preferences yourself, first, go to System Preferences by choosing it from under the Apple icon in the white menu bar at the top of the screen.
Select the Trackpad button by clicking on it.
Once you are in there, you can select the options you want to enable and watch the videos built-in to the System Preferences dialog to understand what these options really do!
Try some different options, and please do not be afraid to experiment with these settings!
Prolong Laptop Battery Life
25.April.2010 07:24 Filed in: Tech Tips
What can I do to prolong the life of my
laptop battery?
The Staff MacBooks that are being distributed during Spring 2010 are rated for 7-8 hours of battery life. Often times, this will mean that the laptop can be used throughout an entire school day by teachers and students. Nevertheless, to ensure this, there are some settings that can be changed that can maximize battery life. Staff members are encouraged to set these settings in this way, and then change them only when necessary. Changing them back when done with the need for that setting.
Turn off Bluetooth radio
As we have stated during initial trainings, staff members should not bring wireless devices, such as a Bluetooth mouse, to school. There are just too many wireless devices that we want to minimize the amount of interference. We have left the Bluetooth radio in the computer open to use, though, so staff members can take advantage of it when they are outside the District or if it should be needed in the future for a specific accessory at school. When your Bluetooth setting is on, which it is by default, the computer is constantly using power to search for other Bluetooth devices that might be in range to connect to. This is an unnecessary use of power if you are not going to use those devices. So, to save power and extend battery life, just turn off the Bluetooth radio.
Turn off the Bluetooth radio, by clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the white Menu Bar at the top of the screen and choosing “Turn Bluetooth Off” from the menu.
Once the Bluetooth is off, the Bluetooth icon will be grayed out in the white Menu Bar at the top of the screen.
If you should need the Bluetooth at some point in the future, just go back to this menu and turn it back on.
Dim your screen
Your laptop comes with a bright and glossy monitor. It looks beautiful, but your computer’s monitor uses tons of the machine’s power. To conserve energy and prolong battery life, you can dim the screen. In most lighting conditions, particularly inside our school buildings, you can easily use your monitor at the lowest brightness setting. This will save lots of energy and can significantly prolong battery life.
To dim your screen, simply use the decrease brightness key on the top row of the keyboard.
Keep as few applications as possible running
On a Mac or PC, you can have multiple applications (also known as programs or software) running at the same time. For example, when doing “desk work,” we typically leave Entourage and iChat open no matter what else we are doing (i.e., using Word, Keynote, or Excel). While it can increase productivity to have multiple applications running at the same time, you should also only have applications open that you need open. Running applications unnecessarily requires your computer to work harder, running more processes in the background, and this uses more energy, decreasing battery life.
You can easily tell which applications are open by which ones include a white dot to the right of the application icon on the dock. (See the picture below, which shows that Microsoft Word is open.)
To close applications, be sure to quit the application when you are done with it. Do not simply click the red dot in the upper left corner of the application window.
Rather, quit applications by:
-Holding down the mouse over the application’s icon on the Dock and selecting Quit from the contextual menu that will pop up after a moment
These tricks will help your battery last even longer when you are not plugged in!
The Staff MacBooks that are being distributed during Spring 2010 are rated for 7-8 hours of battery life. Often times, this will mean that the laptop can be used throughout an entire school day by teachers and students. Nevertheless, to ensure this, there are some settings that can be changed that can maximize battery life. Staff members are encouraged to set these settings in this way, and then change them only when necessary. Changing them back when done with the need for that setting.
Turn off Bluetooth radio
As we have stated during initial trainings, staff members should not bring wireless devices, such as a Bluetooth mouse, to school. There are just too many wireless devices that we want to minimize the amount of interference. We have left the Bluetooth radio in the computer open to use, though, so staff members can take advantage of it when they are outside the District or if it should be needed in the future for a specific accessory at school. When your Bluetooth setting is on, which it is by default, the computer is constantly using power to search for other Bluetooth devices that might be in range to connect to. This is an unnecessary use of power if you are not going to use those devices. So, to save power and extend battery life, just turn off the Bluetooth radio.
Turn off the Bluetooth radio, by clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the white Menu Bar at the top of the screen and choosing “Turn Bluetooth Off” from the menu.
Once the Bluetooth is off, the Bluetooth icon will be grayed out in the white Menu Bar at the top of the screen.
If you should need the Bluetooth at some point in the future, just go back to this menu and turn it back on.
Dim your screen
Your laptop comes with a bright and glossy monitor. It looks beautiful, but your computer’s monitor uses tons of the machine’s power. To conserve energy and prolong battery life, you can dim the screen. In most lighting conditions, particularly inside our school buildings, you can easily use your monitor at the lowest brightness setting. This will save lots of energy and can significantly prolong battery life.
To dim your screen, simply use the decrease brightness key on the top row of the keyboard.
Keep as few applications as possible running
On a Mac or PC, you can have multiple applications (also known as programs or software) running at the same time. For example, when doing “desk work,” we typically leave Entourage and iChat open no matter what else we are doing (i.e., using Word, Keynote, or Excel). While it can increase productivity to have multiple applications running at the same time, you should also only have applications open that you need open. Running applications unnecessarily requires your computer to work harder, running more processes in the background, and this uses more energy, decreasing battery life.
You can easily tell which applications are open by which ones include a white dot to the right of the application icon on the dock. (See the picture below, which shows that Microsoft Word is open.)
To close applications, be sure to quit the application when you are done with it. Do not simply click the red dot in the upper left corner of the application window.
Rather, quit applications by:
- - Holding down “Command” + “Q” on your keyboard as the Quit keyboard shortcut
- - Choosing Quit from the application’s main entry on the menu bar
-Holding down the mouse over the application’s icon on the Dock and selecting Quit from the contextual menu that will pop up after a moment
These tricks will help your battery last even longer when you are not plugged in!
